Glucose injection causes adverse reaction in 12 kids

By Chen Qian  |   2008-10-30  |     ONLINE EDITION

TWELVE children in Fujian Province had adverse reactions to a glucose drip that was produced by a Zhejiang pharmaceutical company.

The children had high fevers and shivered once being put on a drip at Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in Fuzhou on Tuesday, Xinhua News Agency reported today.

They all recovered after the hospital removed the drips, Xinhua said.

Medical experts at the hospital were suspicious of the glucose injection produced by Zhejiang Juneng Lesi Pharmaceutical Industry Co since all patients had the same adverse reaction as the same time.

The hospital purchased the glucose injections through government public bidding and had used 25 bottles, the hospital's office director Ma Quan told Xinhua.

Liquid glucose is usually used to dilute a combination of other fluids in the drip to help the patient absorb the medicine better.

Fuzhou has sealed all 7,000 bottles of the glucose injection made by Juneng Lesi. All injections used on the 12 children were sent for testing, the report said.

The result will be available in 10 days, the report said. The Health Bureau and the province’s Food and Drug Administration have begun to investigate the case.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Health and the State Food and Drug Administration have jointly issued an urgent notice to ban the sale and use of Ciwujia injections produced by Heilongjiang Wandashan Pharmaceutical Co.

Three patients died and three others had a serious side effect to the Ciwujia injections.

The herbal injection is mainly used for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, as well as liver and gallbladder disease.

The producer recalled all its injections in mid October.

Meanwhile, a pharmaceutical factory in Guizhou Province has ordered a nationwide recall of an eczema cream produced by Miaoling Miao Nationality Medicine Technology Co. The cream is used to treat babies and a powerful hormone was found in it this month.